Memeorandum

November 06, 2018

Bracing For The Evening News

OK, we're settling in for a long march to... well, I guess we'll all find out where when we get there.

I do think that in terms of brand extension and cross-marketing opportunities, Rachel should think about bottling her tears. The 2016 vintage would have been priceless. My goodness, late in the evening of Trump Ascendant she rambled on about uncounted votes here and a recount there and a possible landing by extra-terrestials on the Washington Mall all taking us to a Hillary victory. The look on co-anchor Brian Williams face was priceless - reflective, pentitent, and clearly revisiting the life choices that had led him to this moment.

If we can get another 2012 Megyn Kelly type moment when the Foxies got in Karl Rove's face on behalf of their Decision Desk, I will pay extra.

For those analyzing what happened yesterday, it appears there was a great deal of straight party voting yesterday in the inside the perimeter, UMC, mostly two income professional household area of ATL where I live. You can see that most acutely in the fact that virtually all the incumbent female Rep legislators for the area in both houses, elected since 2012, were thrown out narrowly in favor of the Dem women challengers.

It's also a heavily jewish area because it is within walking distance of one of the most conservative synagogues. Reminds me of the neighbor who works for a relocated to atl from michigan corp HQ voting with his wife yesterday asking me if there was a way to vote a straight ticket.

Not saying losing the House is great, but what happened was about the best that could be expected. Grew Senate margin, Small Dem margin in house, DJT is still President and the Navy Seal with the eyepatch won. Also on the plus side, Paul Ryan, Corker, Flake, McCain and house Rinos are gone.

The GOP had two years to get things done. If they did not pass the legislation at that time why does anyone think they would do it in the next two years? And they have until whenever the current session ends if something is critical.

Appointing conservative Federal judges will have an impact for decades as the WH shifts between GOP and Dem over the years. Trade deals are still on the table.

The Dems will continues to obstruct and launch investigations. After two years of that I do not see how it helps them in 2020. Do the Dems really want to push the Russian BS? If so I think Trump would be happy to lay out the Dem involvement (hopefully he will anyway). And the IRS has audited Trump for years. Do the Dems think Trump sits down each year and use Turbotax to complete his tax returns without legal/financial people in charge.

Was yesterday House result great? Probably not, but we'll see how Trump plays it (against geniuses like Pelosi, Waters, Schiff). He now has something to run against in 2020.

Normally, I am a gloomy Gus, but this morning I feel pretty positive. On the other hand, I could just be a little slow.

There are the brave, who spit in the face of disaster and go down fighting; and then there are the weak, who, though not broken by defeat, turn aside and say, we lost, it's over, no more fight left in me. They were never the true fighters. They reassure themselves, we have enough set aside, we're comfortable, we'll take care of our own, doesn't matter about the rest of you fighters, you few brave who scheme to regroup or even fight the skirmishes on the edge of civilization.

Just my thoughts on winning and losing. The rats and the roaches and the snakes never give up. You annihilate them one place, they hum and explode and breed and slither out somewhere else. Nothing breaks their spirits. That's what it's all about, isn't it -- what drives a person, what kind of spirit rages in their mind and heart?

You heard that from me months ago, Cap'n. And I promised to mention it today if the House was lost, but you beat me to it. Now we will never know though I will always think the failure to go on offense with the Rule of Law team was a self inflicted strategic mistake.

Don't say it Beasts. I know you will blow your top at my remark, but I love you anyway.

Beasts, the House isn't the problem. It is FL now solid blue for 2020 and beyond. (Felon voting referendum does that).

That is a hard fact that doesn't get shaken off by the rest.

Then we need to find a way to make inroads to that "voting block". As Florida elected an (R) Governor and an (R) Senator, the story is that (R)'s helped Felons get their voting rights back. Now, the Florida Legislature and Governor need to work on helping Felons back into society and working instead of committing crimes. Helping them can go a long way to changing hearts and minds.

Not easy, but worthwhile in many respects.

There is that book about committing 3 felonies a day, so easy to fall victim to any number of laws.

My thoughts - Trump was prepared for keeping the House and for losing the house. Today at his presser we will see what his plan is now that the house is lost. I guarantee we will all feel better afterwards. I hope one thing he’s going to do is release the FISA documents. And all the other documents Nunes has been wanting him to release. Also that Sessions is stepping down. I’m going to stay positive This is Donald J Trump we were talking about !

Winning the House would have been a very big deal. HUGE.
But losing it--
Sad, certainly far from optimal, but not only was it expected, it's the usual outcome of a midterm election.
It's nothing like the 63 seats that turned over in 2010. 'Unexpectedly.'

It is how things were set up to work--the two year terms of the House allow that to be responsive to "the mood of the people" and all.
Or at least that is what I remember being taught.

And goodness, watching the hour and half I watched of Morning Joe----are those people bold in their propagandizing!
We are fortunate the LIVs getting "news" from MSM didn't take the Senate too.

I get that a big win would have hopefully been a time of relative peace in this civil war. I hate that that didn't happen!
But honestly, I don't think that would have been the case. Perhaps better that we not let our guard down for a minute.

the two year terms of the House allow that to be responsive to "the mood of the people" and all.

That's why I'm in full eeyore mood today.

With > 4% economic growth, wages rising, unemployment at its lowest point since the 1960's, hispanic and black unemployment at its lowest point ever, consumer confidence at an all time high, the stock market setting new records every week, more progress with North Korea than in the last 60+ years, ISIS at the brink of annihilation, Europeans finally ponying up for defense spending after decades of slacking, NAFTA renegotiated, industry returning to the US and new factories opening...

...and ALL of this was proclaimed impossible before President Trump's election...

“call a Lame Duck Session of Congress and pass every last dream law our side can imagine, ”

That’s not who we are. /ryan

I don’t see that losing the House is such a big deal. They can’t pass any legislation. If the Rs had won we’d likely have Kevin McCarthy as speaker, and a lot of people would rightfully ask what the Rs has accomplished.

The main downside is having to see Pelosi, Nadler, et al looking happy.

Bullshit.
Political realities are created, not an unchanging constant.
Our country was over with, done in 2012.
And 2008 and 1992 and 96 and 76 and....

This is what I hate about pessimism;
1. Most of the horrible stuff it worries about doesn't happen.
2. It is a self fulfilling prophecy and ingrains a losers attitude.
3. It is contagious.
4. It assumes it knows the future when it very clearly doesn't.
5. It occupies its adherents time with whining and preparing for bad stuff instead of causing good stuff.

The fact is the pessimism of conservatives who perpetually think their party let them down is the flip side of the thing they claim to hate the most; the useless GOPe creeps who also assume progdom is inevitable and adopt an accommodating defensive loser strategy. The two sides of that coin work in tandem to suppress the conservative majority.
Regardless of the GOPe, if the rest of the GOP was made up of can-do Reagans and Trumps, the GOPe would be gone, the Dems would be routed and we would be on a decades long winning streak.
Include me out of a losing strategy.

Being an optimist I can tell you that if the progs are given the dictatorial, anti-American power they seek by that two headed coin there are millions of us optimists who will opt for ending that power by whatever means necessary. Better find a place to hide when that happens, because otherwise you might be forced to win.

I still call it national suicide. My main consideration for that is the exit polls showing 58% saying the nation is moving in the wrong direction. With GDP growth approaching 4%, statistically full employment, 7 million open jobs to be filled, rising wages at +3%, stock market highs = bigger 401Ks.

Where is the wrong direction? What do the 58% want? A return to the Obama years?

I think you were right that Trump decided he could live without the House. He clearly concentrated 24/7 on getting Senators elected, and gave us and McConnell a solid Senate to work with, instead of a squeaker. It seems to me, we've got the General we need. Sounds to me like half the troops he needs are sitting out on the ledge, prepared to watch him fail, saying "I told you so," every step of the way. You do expect him to keep on fighting, no? You'd be pretty shocked if he agreed with you and threw in the towel they way you're willing to do, no?

I still simply do not understand how anyone thought Trump should be able to vanquish the swamp in two years, or that the swamp would not win any battles along the way. You can retreat to the ledge with your drinks, like so much deadwood, and make it that much harder for the folks who keep on fighting. I understand disappointment. I'm disappointed as hell that we lost the House, but the idea of keeping it against the kind of head winds we faced was a triumph of hope over experience. Giving up is a whole 'nuther matter. The folks who are saying the country is fucked, should take a good long look at just how hard they themselves were willing to fight for it, or sacrifice to save it. Trump can't to it all. It doesn't help that he's trying to lead a party of Republicans who won't even risk defending their views at cocktail parties.

Things that don't represent me:
Sounds to me like half the troops he needs are sitting out on the ledge, prepared to watch him fail, saying "I told you so," every step of the way.

I still simply do not understand how anyone thought Trump should be able to vanquish the swamp in two years, or that the swamp would not win any battles along the way.

Giving up is a whole 'nuther matter. The folks who are saying the country is fucked, should take a good long look at just how hard they themselves were willing to fight for it, or sacrifice to save it.

Trump 2020 ‘begins today.’ The X-Factor is the Mueller probe: Don Jr. has told friends he fears he could be indicted, and John Kelly and Don McGahn have implored the president to wait until the report is issued to fire Jeff Sessions -

The plan for that is staring you in the face. Look at the numbers Trump has been picking up among Latino/Hispanics and African-Americans.

If Dems are as feckless as they are promising to be, I think Trump may well continue to grow the minority share of the GOP. That was never going to happen over night, but family oriented, church going, Hispanics are a natural fit for the Republican party, and I believe black American's primary concern, as a demographic, is jobs, jobs which come with healthcare. Outside of inner cities, at least, they are also substantially more religious and more conservative socially than Democrats as a whole.